Archive By Section - Obituaries

PAWNEE ROCK - Adam P. Deckert, 94, died Feb. 16 at Sunrise of Lenexa in Lenexa. Born Feb. 6, 1919 in Great Bend, he was the son of Peter and Susie (Ratzlaff) Deckert. On April 15, 1945 he married Helen Schmidt in Pawnee Rock. She died on April 7, 1996. A long-time Pawnee Rock resident, Mr. Deckert was a Lenexa resident for two years, coming from Great Bend where he resided for 17 years. He was a farmer and also worked for Doerr Metal in Larned.

BETHEL, Mo. - Charles Ralph Coonrod, 77, of Bethel, Mo., passed away on Feb. 6 at the University Medical Center in Columbia, Mo. He was born in Tulsa, Okla., the son of Woodrow Wilson and Eva Pearl Curtis Coonrod. Ralph and Delberta "Debbie" Hollaway were married on Aug. 26, 1961, in Great Bend.

April Mae Hart, 38, died Feb. 13 at her home in Great Bend. Born Sept. 5, 1974, in Lawton, Okla., she was the daughter of Gary and Coleen (Skeen) Hayes. A resident of Great Bend since 2005, coming from Iowa, Minnesota and Missouri, she had previously been a waitress and C.N.A.

J.W. Crabtree, 74, died Feb. 11 at Great Bend Regional Hospital in Great Bend after a brief illness. Born on March 8, 1938 in Risco, Mo., he was the son of Lee and Frances (Gray) Crabtree. On Dec. 14, 1957, he married Myrtle Florence "Flo" Goudie in St. Louis, Mo. She died Jan. 1, 2004. He was employed as a warehouse/terminal worker for Railway Express in St. Louis, Mo., and worked in service stations for the majority of his life.

Judith Elaine Piland, 75, died Feb. 12 at Harry Hynes Memorial Hospice in Wichita. Born Aug. 19, 1937, in Sterling, she was the daughter of Julius and Mildred (Beck) Boepple. On Jan. 28, 1956, she married Basil Loyd Piland in Great Bend. He died on July 27, 2010.

WICHITA - Barbara G. Beck Godfrey, 75, passed away on Feb. 11. Born April 5, 1937 in McPherson, she was the daughter of Orlin and Violet (Blanke) Krehbiel. Barbara worked as an administrative assistant, most recently at St. Patrick's Parish where she retired after 20 years of service. She enjoyed fishing, gardening, reading, playing cards, attending antique car shows, and spending time with friends and family.

BILLINGS, Mont. - Dolores R. Isern, 85, of Billings, Mont., died on Jan. 23, 2013, in Billings. Beloved granny, mother and great grandmother, she was the matriarch of a family who will miss her dearly. She was born Feb. 19, 1927, in Denton, Texas, to Beatrice and Henry Rondeau. She was the youngest of three children and outlived both her siblings, Henri and Hautesse. Growing up in Great Bend, her closest relationship was with her grandfather C. D. Spaugh, whom she lovingly called "Daddy."